Whitehouse Wind Symphony to perform on April 28

WHITEHOUSE — “Director’s Favorites” is the title of the Whitehouse Wind Symphony’s spring concert at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at the Whitehouse United Methodist Church, 73 Old Highway 28.

There is a freewill donation. No tickets needed.

According to the symphony’s director, Casey Bork, “This concert will be filled with many of my favorites, which includes some of the best music writing in the past 75 years. I will soon be leaving as leader after 16 years and these are some of the pieces I always enjoy.”

“The concert will feature our usual mix of marches, musicals, classic transcriptions and original works for concert band, but these are truly special examples. We’ll perform selections from “The King and I,” “Miss Saigon” and “Sweeney Todd.” These musicals have great pathos and drama, and are well adapted for the concert band."

Two suites will be performed, “The Suite of Old American Dances” by Robert Russell Bennett, who arranged the Richard Rodgers music for the TV series “Victory at Sea,” and, “Original Suite” by Gordon Jacobs, a fine British band composition.

The band will play, “My Ship,” a Miles Davis/Gil Evans piece arranged for the Whitehouse Wind Symphony by member Robert Eichlin. It features Robert Sukovich, the first chair trumpet since the bands inception. The band will also perform, “Dam Buster March,” from the movie of the same name, and the “Greater Clarksburg March” written by Bork’s grandfather.

Bork said, “I was looking for an afternoon concert that would appeal to musicians and music lovers, these pieces are the cream of the crop.”

In its 16th year, the band is composed of approximately 50 members who travel from all areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This concert band is in the tradition of the British military band, which evolved during the early 20th century in America.

A special concert, “Borkfest,” will occur on Saturday, June 9, in which all players who ever played under a Bork baton are welcome and encouraged to play. This includes Casey’s grandfather, VW Bork, founder of the Eastern Conservatory of Music and Arts and the Union County Band and Orchestra Summer School, and Casey Bork Sr., director of the above organizations and music director of Roselle schools and well-known dance band director and trumpet player and director of Rutgers University Marching Band ‘62 – ’66.